I am curious as to the rationale behind limiting the time so much on the ACT sections. If you are a good, thoughtful, detail oriented person who enjoys reading carefully to get the most information and understanding out of a text you score low (on reading and science).
That being said, I have done practice test after practice test with the time constraints and am working my way toward the goal. I find it really frustrating though. Are there any other tips to master these sections?
have you tried the SAT - it’s far less time-constrained and is scored similarly to the ACT (ie no penalty for wrong answer).
Yes I scored a 1500 on SAT and was happy with that (though I plan to try to super score). I won’t submit the ACT if its bad but am going to take it anyway, More frustrated that I can’t crack the code to this one.
My S19 felt he couldn’t “crack the code” on the ACT either so he never took it. Scored a 1530 on his first SAT and stopped there.
A 1500 is a 34-equivalent to the ACT so you’ll need to figure out whether additional testing is even in order. If you are scoring 34 or higher on ACT practice tests it might be worth a shot, but the option to stick with SAT and create a higher superscore is worth pursuing - perhaps more than taking the ACT.
Whatever choice you make, opting to hyperfocus on testing would be the worst one so just make sure you don’t overdo it. Every minute in prep is time away from doing other things to distinguish yourself and help your application.
The ACT and the SAT are designed so that finishing within times and even early is generally expected. Things that eat time include ignoring precisely what is asked and wondering about what the question is really asking. Test questions are straightforward as are responses; tbereare no hidden meanings.
Students may not have acquired time management skills that enable to allocate an amount of time per item. Easy items take less time and difficult items take more time. Never spend more than a few moments on any item…move on if you do not have a reasonable answer. Scores are based on the total number of points irrespective of difficulty. Use remaining time to respond to questions that you skippe
Preview questions before reading a passage and answer the question as soon as you find it. Investigate and hone good test taking skills.
Anxiety is demonstrated on an inverted u. If you have no anxiety or are indifferent, you are unlikely to do well. Converse!y, if you are very anxious and freaking out, you will not to well. Learn or practice skills that calm you down.
Do not look at the clock. That compromises your focus and does not provide useful information. Your internal clock and sense of moving along are the best gauges of time. Focus on the immediate test.
It doesnt matter how well you performed on earlier portions. That is done and gone and also wastes time and confidence.
Have realistic expectations for test scores. They should be comparable broadly with other standardized test scores. You may think you need a particular score to be competitive dream school. You want to earn your best score and not hang your success or personal value on a test score.
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Your perception of yourself as thoughtful and detai! oriented may not be in your best interests. Read careful!y, but not laboriously or multiple times. Questions ask whether you have learned a particular piece of information and not whether you have considered every possibility. That information is in the potential responses. If an answer choice doesnt fit, ignore it. Testing agencies are not in the business of tricking students or determining if the student recognizes the obscure answer.
When you practice tests,stick to time limits and sped minimal mental energy analyzing questions.
IME as faculty for many years, I knew which students who were very qualified would earn low scores because of carefully overanalyzing questions and spending on considering how each response would be correct. These students were deliberate, careful, thoughtful and so on which lead to excellent professionals and poor test takers. You may need to suppress your basic academic characteristics on tests.
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